Vancouver

American  

[van-koo-ver] / vænˈku vər /

noun

1. George, 1758–98, English explorer who charted the northwest Pacific coast of North America.

2. a seaport in southwestern mainland British Columbia, Canada, on the Strait of Georgia opposite Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

3. a city in southwestern Washington State, on the Columbia River.

4. Mount Vancouver, a mountain on the boundary between Alaska and Canada, in the St. Elias Mountains. 15,700 feet (4,785 meters).

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Vancouver ¹ British  

/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

1. an island of SW Canada, off the SW coast of British Columbia: separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound, and from the US mainland by Juan de Fuca Strait; the largest island off the W coast of North America. Chief town: Victoria. Pop: 706 243 (2001). Area: 32 137 sq km (12 408 sq miles)

2. a city in SW Canada, in SW British Columbia: Canada's chief Pacific port, named after Captain George Vancouver: university (1908). Pop: 545 671 (2001)

3. a mountain on the border between Canada and Alaska, in the St Elias Mountains. Height: 4785 m (15 700 ft)

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Vancouver ² British  

/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

1. Captain George. 1757–98, English navigator, noted for his exploration of the Pacific coast of North America (1792–94)

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Vancouver Cultural  

1. City in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, on an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

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Discover More

The city was named for George Vancouver, an English navigator and explorer.

Vancouver is a year-round tourist center.

Example Sentences

It was the fourth of five sea days on the way from Honolulu to Vancouver, British Columbia, and I was in the pool with a dozen other early risers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

The Whitecaps are up for sale and MLS may accept a bid to move the team to Las Vegas because of a bleak financial forecast in Vancouver.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

The Seattle Fault Zone helps absorb strain caused by compression in the Earth's crust between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Two more couples are isolating on Vancouver Island, one from British Columbia and the other from Yukon.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

I buy us tickets to Vancouver, which has the advantage of being warm, or so I suppose.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood